100th Giro d’Italia Stage 12: Gaviria with the hat trick

Colombian sprinter and purple points jersey holder Fernando Gaviria, added Thursday’s stage victory to his Stage 3 and 5 wins to give him the hat trick. Tom Dumoulin kept safe in the pink jersey.

#Giro100?? Another day in the Maglia Rosa for @tom_dumoulin tomorrow ??#KeepChallenging pic.twitter.com/8owsb0RPx6

— Team Sunweb (@TeamSunweb) May 18, 2017

The riders faced the longest stage of the 100th edition, heading northwest from Forli. There were Cat. 2 and Cat. 3 climbs in the first half of 229-km. The final 55-km were dead flat.

The longest stage of #Giro100 today. It's mostly flat after two uncomplicated climbs.
Start: 11.35am CET (3.35am MDT)
Broadcast: 1.15pm CET pic.twitter.com/OYfIOUWjLM

— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) May 18, 2017

Simon Geschke, part of Tom Dumoulin’s Sunweb squad, faced a challenge very early in the day when the team bus left for the start without him.

Anyone can give me a lift to the @giroditalia start? My teambus decided to leave without me. #tramping pic.twitter.com/wRGEGek0Qy

— Simon Geschke (@simongeschke) May 18, 2017

A profile like Thursday’s wasn’t going to draw too big of a breakaway, and only three bothered to fly their team flags. Sergey Firsanov (Russia/Gazprom) took the maximum KOM points on the Cat. 2 and Mirco Maestri (Italy/Bardiani) did the same on the Cat. 3, but the real battle was behind them in the peloton where Wednesday’s winner Omar Fraile beat out Stage 4 winner Jan Polanc for the Cat. 2’s remaining points to take over the blue mountains jersey.

Breakaway of the day: @mircomaestri9, Sergey Firsanov, @MarcatoMarco #Giro100 pic.twitter.com/ylqeW2dxmO

— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 18, 2017

The race rolled along the Autostrade highway as the trio pulled out a little larger gap. But with 50-km to go, the lead was 3:20, plenty of time to make the capture. With the peloton closing in, Maestri did a flyer in the final 14-km. Lotto Soudal, Bora-Hansgrohe, Quick-Step Floors and Orica-Scott had been sharing the work in the peloton, but Orica did the labour to lasso Maestri with 7-km remaining.

.@SveinTuft of @OricaScott hauling at the front to bring in the remaining escapee in the final kms of Stage 12 #giro100 pic.twitter.com/ruZkUwoIsk

— Canadian Cycling Mag (@CanadianCycling) May 18, 2017

Bora snatched the reins. Lotto-Soudal moved up on the right. Quick Step pulled back a late attack from Albanian Eugert Zhupa and, with lead-out man Max Richeze having caught back up with the field, launched Gaviria to the win.

Friday’s Stage 13 is pan flat, with nary a ripple. Most of the sprinters will be packing up and going home afterwards.

2017 Giro d’Italia Stage 12
1) Fernando Gaviria (Colombia/Quick Step) 5:18:55
2) Jakob Marckzko (Italy/Willier-Trestina) s.t.
3) Sam Bennett (Ireland/Bora-Hansgrohe) s.t.

2017 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Tom Dumoulin (The Netherlands/Sunweb) 52:41:08
2) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) +2:23
3) Bauke Mollema (The Netherlands/Trek-Segafredo) +2:38